Safe And Sound
by MasterFirebender84
Summary: After the Equalist attack on the Probending Arena, Korra takes Mako & Bolin back to Air Temple Island while Tenzin continues to work with Lin and the police. On the Island, Korra & the brothers discuss their future plans, & their growing friendship.


So this is just a little something I wrote after Episode 6; my 'special little headcanon' if you will. I'm quite proud of this piece, so I'm going to post it on here anyway, 'cause that's how I roll. B|

Anyways, enjoy and review! :D

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Legend of Korra" or any of the characters associated with it. I am merely a fanboy with a passionate love for this series.

**Safe And Sound**

"Republic City…is at war."

Tenzin's ominous yet fatally true statement settled like a dark seed of despair into the young hearts of the Fire Ferrets as they gazed out over the destroyed Probending ring, a foreboding plume of black, opaque smoke rising from the gaping wound in the center of the ring like an outpouring of tainted blood. Equalist banners, harbingers of doom and despair, hung all around the circular ceiling, a constant reminder of what had transpired that evening.

As Korra observed the aftermath of the Equalist attack, she knew that the crisis in Republic City had only escalated to far more dangerous levels than before. The Equalists had, in both the literal and figurative sense, declared open war on all of bending kind, starting with their attack on the Probending Arena.

One thing was certain in the young Avatar's mind: a massive conflict that she, as the Avatar, was destined to bring an end to had indeed begun. Whether she liked it or not, the Equalists had made their move, forcing her to play her hand as well.

First things first, however; she had to make sure her friends were safe from further harm. Looking over at her Airbending teacher, she decidedly said, "Tenzin, I'm going to take Mako and Bolin back to the Air Temple with me." Tenzin and Lin both looked over at her as she added, "Seeing as how the Arena has kind of been destroyed, I figured that my friends would need someplace safe to stay."

"She does have a point, Tenzin," agreed Lin, astutely folding her arms behind her back. "The Arena will need to be closed because of the extensive damage that it's suffered."

"Whoa, wait a minute!" declared Mako, stepping up to Korra's side. "Chief Bei Fong, you can't close the Arena down! My brother and I live here! This is our home!"

"I'm afraid that your home has just become a crime scene," firmly said Lin, an uncompromising expression dominating her stern face. "For now, you and your brother will just have to stay with Tenzin and his family on Air Temple Island. I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking in a couple of homeless boys for just a little while." Glancing up at Tenzin, she slyly smirked. "Am I right, Tenzin?"

Briefly giving Lin a slightly annoyed look, Tenzin looked over at the Fire Ferrets. "Lin is right. As an Airbender, I can't stand idly by when someone needs a place to stay, and you two are in desperate need of a home right now. You two can stay at the Air Temple with Korra, my family, and I for as long as you need."

"Oh thank you, Master Tenzin!" gratefully exclaimed Bolin as he deeply bowed, his torso vertically parallel with the ground. He quickly came out of his bow, his face beaming with uncontained happiness. "Thank you so much! You're so awesome for doing that for us, sir!" Mako's brow furrowed in troubled contemplation. He disliked it when people gave him free hand-outs on a whim; he always made sure to repay those who bestowed their kindness upon them, even if those people didn't expect to be repaid.

"Please, call me Tenzin," humbly said the Airbending Master.

"Tenzin," began Mako, "if there's anything we can do to repay you for this-"

"That won't be necessary, Mako," assured Tenzin. "You and your brother need a place to stay right now, and I'm sure Korra wouldn't want her friends to be left to live out on the streets."

"No, I wouldn't," agreed Korra.

"But Tenzin," argued Mako, "I can't just accept this kind of hand-out from you and Korra. There has to be some way for me to pay you back for allowing Bolin and I to live at the Air Temple."

"And I told you already that repaying me won't be necessary," countered Tenzin. "I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart and for Korra's sake. Her friends need a place to stay, and I am more than willing to give them a home without the need to be repaid by them." Mako's shoulders slumped slightly, clearly disappointed that he couldn't find a way to repay Tenzin for his hospitality and that Tenzin wasn't going to change his mind on the matter. Looking over at Korra, Tenzin said, "Take your friends back home and make sure Pema and my children are safe. While I do trust the White Lotus guards stationed on the Island, I would feel much more comfortable if you and your friends were also there to protect my family."

"Don't you worry, Tenzin," confidently smiled Korra, smugly placing her hands on her hips. "We'll make sure Amon and his goons don't even come anywhere near your family." Seeing relief spread across Tenzin's face, she turned to her companions as she said, "Let's go put our uniforms away before we head to the Temple." The two brothers nodded their agreement with her, and the three of them began to make their way to their lockers.

"Just a minute, Korra," called out Lin, halting the Avatar and her friends and making them turn back towards the Chief with perplexed expressions. "One of my men will be by the Air Temple later to question you and your friends about what happened here this evening."

"Wait, you think that we're _involved_ with those Equalists?" disbelievingly exclaimed Bolin, Pabu squeaking his outrage along with his master from his place on the Earthbender's shoulders. "Those crazy people zapped us and tied us up! How can we be involved with them if they attacked us?"

"Relax, kid," eased Lin, rolling her eyes. "I wasn't saying you and your friends are involved with the Equalists. However, all of you _were_ involved in the attack that took place tonight, and we need as many eye-witness accounts as possible." Shrugging, she admittedly said, "Standard police procedure, really, but someone's gotta do it." Squaring her eyes at the Fire Ferrets, she firmly said, "Be sure to take care of yourselves out there. There could still be some Equalists hiding around, and the last thing I need is for you kids to get ambushed when you think it's safe."

"We'll be careful, Chief Bei Fong," promised Korra as Mako and Bolin walked off towards the lockers.

"Please," lightly said Lin as Korra took one step forward, glancing back at the Chief with a confused look, "call me Lin." An amiable smile graced the Chief's lips, growing ever so slightly in its curvature as she saw a smile envelop the young Avatar's face as well. Breaking eye contact, Korra ran off to catch up with her friends, leaving Tenzin and Lin alone.

Looking at Lin with a surprised expression, Tenzin said, "I didn't expect you to become this friendly towards Korra."

"It's a start, to say the least," admitted Lin with a shrug of her shoulders. Shrewdly smirking, she proudly added, "She and I make a great fighting team, if I do say so myself."

Tenzin heavily sighed, his shoulders drooping as he glumly said, "Somehow I just knew you two would bond over your love of violence."

Lin said nothing in reply as she surveyed the aftermath of the chaos that had recently ensued. She moved her arms from behind her back to in front of her chest, folding one arm over the other as she tersely said, "The brass is going to have my head for this. Amon managed to slip in under my defenses, and this" – she gestured to the smoking ring with an open hand – "is the result of my failure." She bitterly glanced down at the ground, every muscle in her body rigid and tense as she said, "Too many of my men were injured tonight, and it's all because of me."

"You shouldn't be blaming yourself, Lin," calmly said Tenzin as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, earning him a cold glare from Lin. "Amon is more cunning than we realized. He'll do whatever it takes to bring about his revolution." Lin glanced away from him, refusing to make eye contact. While she wasn't blaming herself to the level of self-despair, the night's events had still left a bitter taste in her mouth. She hand-picked and trained every officer in the force; any injury her men sustained was like her own children was getting hurt, and she hated that feeling of being unable to help them in situations like this. "Lin, you and I both know that you have both the skills and the brains to take on this Equalist Revolution. One failure doesn't make you worthless; it's simply part of being human."

"I never said that I felt worthless," stated Lin, looking back at Tenzin with an intense glare, as if daring him to question her merit. "What I was trying to say was that Amon made me look like a fool tonight, and I'm going to make him pay for doing so." Shrugging off Tenzin's hand, she stormed off to her right as she tightly gripped her fists, firmly saying, "Nobody makes a fool out of Lin Bei Fong and gets away with it."

Tenzin softly smiled, saying nothing as he walked off after Lin, knowing that she would need his help regrouping her men and debriefing on the night's attack.

Down below at the Fire Ferret's lockers, Korra was just putting her uniform away in her locker (now clothed back in her normal Water Tribe garb and winter parka), closing it for one last time as she tiredly sighed. Bolin was still getting his uniform off, Pabu sitting on the nearby bench, when Korra turned around and saw Mako, still in his own uniform, leaning against the metal railing as he gazed out over the smoking ring. Worried about her friend, she walked over towards him, coming up on his right side and leaning against the railing as well as she looked at his face. "Are you OK, Mako?" she softly asked him, wanting to know what was troubling him.

"To be honest, Korra," quietly said Mako, his voice heavy with an untold burden, "I'm not. For so long, Probending was everything to me and Bo. It was our ticket to a better future, and now…" He raggedly sighed, closing his eyes and hanging his head down in defeat. "Now we're right back where we started."

"That's not true," countered Korra, placing a hand on Mako's shoulder, causing him to open his eyes and look over at her. "You _do_ have a home now, Mako. On Air Temple Island with me and Tenzin's family." She tenderly smiled at him, sincerity glimmering in her cyan eyes. Soon enough, Mako found himself smiling back at Korra, knowing that what she said was indeed true. Patting Mako's shoulder, Korra lightheartedly said, "Come on. We need to get going." Breaking away from Mako, she walked towards the door as she said over her shoulder, "I'm sure Pema's worried sick about me and Tenzin."

Mako said nothing as he watched Korra exit out the door, closing it behind her and leaving the Firebender to his thoughts. Bolin had just put his uniform away, now dressed in his regular street clothes as he closed his locker, looking over towards his brother as he timidly asked, "We're gonna be OK…aren't we, bro?"

"Of course we are, Bo," reassuringly said Mako, smiling at Bolin in an attempt to settle his little brother's unease. "We've always made it through the tough times, haven't we?"

"Well, yeah, we have," shrugged Bolin, still seeming very much nervous and on-edge. "It's just…things in Republic City are gonna get really crazy, really fast, and to be honest, it scares me. A lot."

"I know you're scared, bro," assured Mako as he walked over to Bolin, placing an arm around his brother's shoulder in a sort of side hug, "but I promise that we're gonna be OK." He saw Bolin glance away, clearly unconvinced, so he decided to try to point out the positives of their current predicament. "Look at the bright side: we're going to be hanging out a lot more with Korra for a while during our stay at the Air Temple. Now I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good thing to me."

Bolin was quiet for a little bit, considering the fact that he and his brother would get to spend more time with Korra now that they would be living with her, a fact that he liked immensely. "When you put it that way," he agreeably said as he looked back at his brother, "it makes things a little better."

"See?" cheerily said Mako with an uplifting smile. "We've got nothing to worry about." He chuckled as he reaching up to Bolin's head with his free hand, ruffling his little brother's hair as he jokingly said, "Quit your worrying, you silly Turtleduck."

"Hey, watch the hair!" exclaimed Bolin as he swatted away Mako's hand, his brother mischievously smiling as he let go of Bolin. Childishly huffing as he fixed his hair, Bolin grumpily grumbled, "And I am _not_ a Turtleduck."

"You totally are a Turtleduck," teasingly protested Mako. "Watch." He quickly poked Bolin in the stomach with one finger, making his brother suddenly let out an abrupt, quack-like noise.

"_Mako_!" whined Bolin, covering his stomach with both arms. "You know I don't like being poked like that!"

Just as Mako was about to respond, the two brothers heard someone boisterously laughing from the door. The two of them immediately swiveled their heads towards the source of the laughter to see Korra standing there, leaning against the open doorframe as she held her stomach, laughing her guts out and throwing her head back in merriment. Both Mako and Bolin's faces flushed in heavy embarrassment, their gazes awkwardly skewing off to either side to avoid looking right at Korra.

Finally coming out of her mirthful state, Korra wiped away a few merry tears as she chuckled. "You two guys are such dorks," she jestingly commented, pointing at each brother in turn.

"I was just trying to cheer Bolin up, that's all," dismissively said Mako, shrugging off Korra's comment.

"Yeah, what Mako said," quickly agreed Bolin, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Whatever," chuckled Korra as she folded her arms in front of her chest, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

Without further comment, Mako got out of his Probending uniform and donned his street clothes whilst Pabu jumped up on top of Bolin's shoulders from the bench. Before they left their lockers, the Fire Ferrets took one long, lasting gaze out over the ring. "We'll come back to this someday," confidently said Korra.

"That is unless we end up getting ourselves killed in this Equalist Revolution," grimly stated Mako, turning around and making his way out the door, leaving Korra and Bolin to uneasily look at each other for a brief moment before they followed him.

Korra took the lead once they were out the door, and any Metalbender cops they came across on their way out didn't give them any trouble, most likely under orders from Lin to let the Avatar and anyone with her out of the building. Even if the police officers weren't under any orders to let the Avatar out of the Arena, they certainly weren't going to stop her if she did want to leave.

Once the three of them were outside the main entrance, they could see the burning remains of the massive police blockade stationed outside of the Arena. Police airships and police boats still burned in the water surrounding the Arena, and many police officers were still recovering from the sudden Equalist attack.

"This is awful…" murmured Bolin, looking on at the chaotic scene around them with a shocked expression as they continued to walk. "Just…_awful_."

"I gotta hand it to those Equalists," said Mako, looking out at a burning police airship in the bay, the crimson flames casting an undulating reflection on the surface of the water. "They know how to bring down their enemies in the quickest way possible."

"Let's just get back to the Air Temple," said Korra, keeping her eyes straight ahead. "Tenzin and Lin will get things here under control. For now, we need to make sure Pema and her kids are safe."

"Are we going to ask these cops if there's still a police boat left for us to use?" asked Mako, looking over at Korra.

"There's no time," replied Korra, steering them towards the side of the pier. "I'm going to have to Waterbend us back to the Island." Once they reached the edge of the pier, she jumped over the side without another word, freezing the water beneath her into a large ice platform. Landing with a heavy grunt on the ice platform, she knew that it was stable and that it would support all of their weight. Looking back up at the brothers, she shouted, "Hop on!"

Mako and Bolin both jumped over the edge at the same time, landing easily on the ice platform and not losing their balance. "Stand still," commanded Korra, raising her hands just slightly. Ice crept up and fastened around the brother's ankles, securing both of them in place. Seeing both of them look up at her with traces of confusion, she said, "Just so you two don't fall off."

"Good thinking," nodded Mako, eliciting a small smile from Korra. Getting her focus back, Korra turned around and began to propel them forward with her Waterbending. As they jetted through the water, skirting around the remains of the police air and naval fleets, Mako and Bolin both looked back at the Arena, smoke still rising from the gaping hole in the roof. The sad, devastated state of the Arena slashed a gaping wound of agonizing pain in their hearts, forcing themselves to avert their eyes from their former home in order to suppress the rising ache.

After about a minute, Korra began their approach to the stone dock that jutted out from the Island. Pulling up alongside the stone dock and coming to a stop, Korra raised her arms, forcing the water beneath them to raise the ice platform up until it was level with the dock. Quickly unfreezing her friends' feet, she allowed Mako and Bolin to step onto the dock before she joined them and melted her ice platform back into water.

The three of them made their way up to the main courtyard of the Air Temple, where Korra guided the two brothers to Tenzin's house on the left side of the Island. As they approached the house, the front door was flung open, followed by Pema running out towards the three teens as she cried out, "Korra! Oh thank goodness you're alright!"

"Easy there, Pema," soothingly said Korra in a calming tone as Pema caught up to her, tightly embracing the young Avatar. Korra hugged Pema back as she said, "You shouldn't run. It's not good for the baby."

"The baby will be fine," hastily said Pema, coming out of their embrace, her jade green eyes wide with uncontained fear. "I heard about the Equalist attack on the radio, and then I saw the whole police blockade around the Arena go up in flames. Where's Tenzin? Is he alright?"

"Yes, Tenzin's fine," assured Korra, holding Pema by the forearms, the pregnant woman's entire body frightfully shaking. "He and Lin are working on getting things at the Arena all straightened out now that the Equalists are gone."

Pema let out a pent-up sigh of utter relief, her legs crumpling beneath her, bringing Korra down with her to the ground as she breathlessly said, "Thank goodness he's alright. When I heard that Equalists were attacking the Arena with those strange glove devices that shock people, I was so worried that Tenzin had gotten hurt." Gratefully smiling at Korra, she sincerely said, "Thank you so much for telling me my husband's alright, Korra."

"You're welcome," Korra smiled back, glad that Pema's mind was now at ease. "Where are the kids?"

"They _should_ be in bed right now," replied Pema, glancing back at the house with knowing eyes, hearing the scampering of feet trying to frantically retreat further into the house. Chuckling to herself at her small victory over her rambunctious children, Pema looked back at Korra as she embarrassedly asked, "Would you mind helping me to my feet? All this worrying I've been doing recently has really taken it out of me."

"Here, let us help," offered Bolin as he moved over to Pema's left side, his brother moving over to Pema's right. The three teens helped Pema to her feet, the young wife smiling at the two boys for their kind, selfless act.

"Pema, you remember my friends Mako and Bolin, right?" asked Korra, letting go of Pema's arms.

"Yes, I do," replied Pema, holding one hand under her bulging stomach for support. "If I remember correctly, I met the two of them at that gala Tarrlok threw for you a while back."

"Yep, that'd be us," chirped Bolin. "In case you don't remember who's who, I'm Bolin, the good-looking one, and the tall one is my brother, Mako, the not so good-looking one."

Pema covered her mouth with her free hand, chuckling into her hand when she saw an annoyed, unamused look come across Mako's face. "Anyways," grumbled Mako, shrugging off Bolin's comment. Looking over at Pema, he politely inclined his head as he kindly said, "It's good to see you again, Pema. I'm glad to see that you're doing so well despite your heavy pregnancy."

"Oh please," chortled Pema, "once you've gotten past the first kid, the others aren't so bad."

"Still," continued Mako, "I'm sure it's a big responsibility to raise the next generation of Airbenders."

"It's pretty much a full-time job," shrugged Pema in agreement, tenderly rubbing her stomach as she softly smiled, "but I love each and every one of my children with all my heart."

Hating herself for having to break up such a heartfelt conversation, Korra said, "Pema, we really should get you back inside. The boys and I will guard the house until Tenzin gets back from the Arena."

"You're absolutely right," nodded Pema. "Good night, everybody," she said as she turned around, making her way back towards the house.

"Now hold on just a minute," said Bolin as he quickly caught up to Pema, walking alongside her as she perplexedly looked over at him. Both of them stopped as Bolin said, "I'll escort you inside, Pema. Y'know, just in case there are some Equalists hiding in the kitchen or something."

"I'll be fine, Bolin," assured Pema with a small smile. "I think I'll be safe in my own house, but I appreciate your concern."

"At least take Pabu with you," suggested Bolin, picking up his furry companion and wrapping him around Pema's neck. Touching Pabu on the nose once the Fire Ferret was settled, Bolin sternly said, "Now Pabu, you make sure this woman gets back to her bedroom safely, you hear me?" Pabu curiously purred as he tilted his head, his pointed white ears quirking slightly. Knowing that Pabu wouldn't let him down, Bolin lightly smiled as he patted Pabu on the head. "You have nothing to fear, Madam Pema," graciously announced Bolin with a flourish, motioning to the open front door in a fabulous sweeping gesture. "My fearless Fire Ferret will stay by your side and make sure no harm comes to you."

Pema amusedly chuckled as she scratched Pabu's chin with her right hand, pleasantly saying, "Thank you, Bolin. I'm sure I'll be able to sleep much more easily now that I've got this brave Fire Ferret to look after me." Korra couldn't help but smile, knowing that Pema was just playing along with Bolin, but somewhere deep down, she knew that Pema was touched by Bolin's actions. Glancing back at Korra, Pema said, "Good night, Korra, and good luck guarding the house with your friends."

"Thanks," replied Korra as she too smiled along with Pema. Without another word, Pema slipped back inside the house, saying sweet things to Pabu and making him purr as she petted him even more. The three teens went inside as well, Korra closing the door behind them as they entered.

Bolin unceremoniously crashed on the couch in the living room, releasing a tired groan as his bum hit the plump cushions. "So," said Bolin as he folded his arms behind his head, Mako sitting next to him and Korra sitting in a chair across from both of them, "what now? Where are Mako and I going to be staying while we're here?"

"You two can probably just crash in my room until Pema finds another room for you two," replied Korra, resting her forearms on her legs as she leaned forward. "But for tonight, the three of us are sleeping out here."

"That's fine by me," shrugged Mako, adjusting his scarf so that it was more comfortable situated around his neck. A thick silence pressed itself onto the young teens, and no one said anything for a few minutes.

Finally, Korra ashamedly sighed, her shoulders sadly drooping as she softly murmured, "I'm sorry we lost the championship match, you guys."

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," retorted Bolin, wanting Korra to feel better and not beat herself up over their only loss of the season. "Those Wolfbats were all being dirty cheaters, and the refs were paid off by someone who obviously wanted us to lose."

"If you ask me," angrily growled Mako, clenching his fists and making his knuckles turn stark white, "Tahno and his teammates deserved to have their bending taken away by Amon."

"Who are you to say who deserves to keep their bending or not?" harshly demanded Korra, narrowing her sharp, icy cyan eyes at the Firebender. "Bending is a part of our identity, of who we are as people." Gesturing to Mako, she asked, "What gives you the right to say that Tahno deserved to lose something he's had all his life?"

"Why are you defending that sleazebag?" bitterly questioned Mako, his amber irises filled with smoldering outrage.

"Because I can sort of understand what he's going through right now!" snapped Korra. "How do you think I felt when Amon almost took away my bending on Avatar Aang Memorial Island? I was _terrified_, Mako! Bending is _everything_ to me! If I lost my bending, I…" Her gaze dropped to the wooden floor, hugging her arms in an attempt to control her raging emotions. "…I don't know what I'd do," she dreadfully admitted, not wanting to think about what would become of her if she lost the very thing that made her the Avatar.

Seeing Korra's mood shift from angry to morose, Mako's blazing eyes softened, wearing a concerned expression on his face. "I'm sorry," he apologized, holding his head down slightly. "I didn't mean to upset you with what I said."

"It's fine," replied Korra in a dismissive tone, though she did accept his apology. Looking up at Mako and offering him an affable smile, she said, "I guess we're still a little riled up from everything that's happened tonight."

"No kidding," agreed Bolin. "Speaking of Tahno and the Wolfbats, tonight's match was pretty intense, even if the Wolfbats were majorly cheating the whole time."

"At least we made it to the third round," pointed out Mako, glancing over at Bolin. Looking over at Korra with a proud smile, he added, "Korra really saved us tonight. The way she threw me back into the ring when we were nearly knocked into the drink during the first round and that awesome tiebreaker win she had against Tahno in the second round are why we got so far in the match. We couldn't have done it without you, Korra."

A touched smile graced Korra's beauteous face, her cheeks flaring with an intense blush at Mako's praise of her, glancing down at the floor as she twiddled her thumbs. "It was nothing, really," she confessed, though the smile on her face said otherwise.

"What do you mean 'it was nothing'?" incredulously asked Bolin, surprised by Korra's humility. "Korra, _you_ were the biggest star out there tonight! Even if we did lose, the way you played out there tonight was just incredible!" Gesturing to her with both hands, he cheerily added, "Best Probender in the league, right here!

Korra couldn't help but giggle slightly at Bolin's words, quickly covering her mouth to prevent more giggles from breaking out. "You guys are too kind," she blushingly said in a humbled tone, finding the amount of praise the two brothers were giving her to be simply too much. "I wanted so badly for us to win so that you guys could get the prize money and finally be able to move out of the Arena, maybe get an apartment of your own."

"You mean you wouldn't want your share of the prize money?" inquired Mako, raising one of his jagged eyebrows at her, puzzlement clear on his face.

Korra shook her head. "I never really cared about the prize money. Besides, you guys needed it way more than I did. If we had won the match, I would have given my share of the prize money to you guys so that you could build a better life for yourselves."

Mako and Bolin were flabbergasted; they honestly didn't know how to respond to a statement like that. "Korra, I…" Mako began to say, the words catching in his mouth before they could tumble out. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I," agreed Bolin, his face seemingly frozen with astonishment. "I mean, just…_wow_. You would really do that for us, Korra?"

"Of course I would," sincerely smiled Korra, her gem-like eyes sparkling with gentleness and warmth. "You guys are my friends, and I just want the two of you to be happy." Mako and Bolin both looked at each with surprised expressions, as if they didn't expect this kind of truthfulness from Korra.

Both brothers looked back at Korra as Mako smiled and said, "You really are something special, Korra."

"Well, when you're the Avatar, it's kind of hard not to be special," teasingly retorted Korra. Both brothers chuckled with their agreement of Korra's statement, and a smile grew on Korra's face as she listened to the resonating sound of their merriment. As the brothers stopped chuckling, Korra heavily sighed. "Things in Republic City are going to get more intense from here on out. I'm going to have to help the Council and the police a lot more often because of the Equalist uprising."

Mako firmly nodded as he said, "Yeah, but you won't be alone. Bo and I are going to help you out however we can." Bolin nodded at his brother's statement, knowing it to be true.

"You guys don't have to do that," countered Korra. "You two have already gotten into enough trouble with the Equalists because of me. I don't want you two getting hurt because of your involvement with me."

"I think it's a little late for that, Korra," pointed out Bolin. "The Equalists know who we are, so there's no point in hiding out. Like it or not, Mako and I are going to help you in your fight against the Equalists."

Korra was silent for a few moments, knowing that the brothers' resolve would quell any protest she would throw at them. "Alright," she relentedly sighed, "but I hope you two know what you're getting yourselves into."

"We do," assured Mako, "and we're prepared to take those risks." Mako knew that he and his brother were already deep in the involvement of Korra's campaign against the Equalists: Bolin had already been captured once and nearly had his bending taken away, Korra had joined Tarrlok's task force in the fight against Amon and nearly lost her bending as a result, and now the Equalists had attacked their only home. He and Bolin had both fought against The Lieutenant himself, Amon's second-in-command, during the time of Bolin's capture, and were both badly beaten as a result. They needed to improve their skills, and Korra was perhaps the most powerful Earth and Firebender in the world. She could help them both train to be better benders so that they could better fight against the Equalists.

"We should take up a patrol around the house," stated Korra, placing her hands on her knees. "One of us could walk around outside while the rest of us stay inside. Whoever's shift is next gets to rest up first while the other stays awake to keep an eye on the house. We'll each take a shift of one hour." Looking over at Bolin, she said, "You're up first, Bolin."

"I'm on it," said Bolin, getting up from his seat and making his way towards the door to the outside as both Korra and Mako watched him. "See you both in an hour," he said over his shoulder as he went out the door.

"Be careful, Bo," Mako called after his brother as the door closed.

Once Bolin was completely outside, Korra looked at Mako as she said, "You'll take the next shift, so go ahead and get some rest."

"Whatever you say, Korra." Mako laid himself out on the long couch, resting his hands underneath his head and closing his eyes as he settled himself in for a peaceful rest.

Korra nervously bit her lip as she watched him. Tonight was the first time he had ever hugged her, and it was out of sheer relief that she was unharmed after the Equalist attack. She hadn't been expecting him to be so worried about her, but it didn't bother her either. Both of them knew that they had feelings for each other, but they had already decided to set aside those feelings due to the fact that he was with Asami and decided instead to just be friends (though Korra couldn't help but groan and roll her eyes when she saw Mako give a little salute and air kiss to his "sweetie" just before they took the field that night.)

"Mako?" she softly called out to him, hoping that he hadn't fallen into a fast sleep already.

Thankfully for her, Mako was still very much awake, as indicated when he opened his eyes. "Hmm? What is it, Korra?"

Korra anxiously played with the edge of her parka, the soft furs providing a minute amount of comfort for her. "You were actually worried about me tonight? Back when the Equalists were attacking the Arena?"

"Of course I was," replied Mako, still lying on the couch. "These Equalists aren't afraid to hurt anyone who gets in the way of their plans, and you're pretty much their biggest threat. After you went after Amon, I…I was worried that maybe you caught up to him and he ended up hurting you or something." Mako tensely swallowed down what felt like uncertain anxiety, knowing he had to tell Korra how he really felt during the Equalist attack. "I was worried about you because you're my friend and I don't want to see you get hurt."

A touched smile blossomed on Korra's face, touched by Mako's concern for her wellbeing. She gave off a quiet chuckle as she said, "I never expected you to be so worried about me that the moment you saw that I was safe, you'd come running up to me and hug me that tightly."

"I was just really worried about you," stated Mako, his voice soft and gentle, like the comforting waves of heat that a small fire gave off.

"I know," quietly assured Korra, sympathetically smiling down at Mako. The Firebender gave her one last cordial smile before he closed his eyes, leaving the Avatar alone with her thoughts.

After about an hour, Bolin came back in from his shift. Korra awakened Mako so that he could take his own shift, leaving her to rest while Bolin kept an eye on the house. Bolin didn't disturb her rest, knowing she needed it after the chaotic madness of the Equalist attack.

Soon enough, Korra found herself being gently shaken awake by a warm hand on her shoulder. "Hey," came Mako's almost imperceptible whisper, her eyes slowly fluttering open as she groggily acknowledged him, "it's time for your shift."

"I know, I know," yawned Korra, getting up from her chair and broadly stretching. When she finished stretching, she looked down to see Bolin sprawled out on the couch, mouth wide open as he gave off a rather cute snore that Korra had a hard time not smiling at.

When Korra finally reached the door and opened it, she was stopped by Mako's hand on her shoulder. "Wait," the Firebender said, turning Korra around to face him.

"Mako, what are you-" she began to say as Mako removed his scarf from around his neck.

"I want you to take this," interjected Mako, wrapped the crimson cloth around Korra's neck as her face erupted into a violent blush. Tightening the scarf just enough that it was secure around Korra's neck, he added, "It'll keep you safe." Korra found herself staring deeply into Mako's eyes, which were soft and pleading, as if he wouldn't be at peace with himself until he took every measure to ensure that his friend would be safe. "Please. I want you to wear it, just for tonight."

A quivering, heartfelt smile graced Korra's lips, throwing her arms around Mako's neck and burying her face in his shoulder, smiling even harder when he felt him hug her back. Her emotions and feelings began to coil up inside of her, threatening to break loose if she didn't go outside right at that moment. "Thank you, Mako," she managed to say through her choked emotions, tightly gripping Mako for all she was worth.

Mako smiled at Korra's gratitude, resting his head against hers. "You're welcome, Korra." The two of them came out of their embrace, Korra quickly slipping outside and hastily closing the door behind her. His need to keep his friend safe satisfied, Mako walked back into the living room, planting himself in the same chair Korra had been sleeping and settling himself in until Korra came back from her shift. His smile, however, had yet to fade, and he highly doubted that it would fade anytime soon.

Outside, tears streaked down Korra's smiling face, touching a reverent hand to Mako's beloved scarf, one of the Firebender's greatest personal treasures. Giving off a tiny sniffle, she wiped away her tears with her free hand, whispering to herself, "I'm so lucky to have such great friends like those two." Pulling up the scarf over her mouth, Korra began her patrol around the house, smiling beneath the scarf the entire time.


End file.
